Upon visiting a graduate program
The bones:
All this started for kaitl, whom I don't even know! Ah, strangers on the Internet, exchanging information. It was based on a discussion over in comments at jisalynn's entry from a few days ago. But this was far too big to post over there, and I also want it publicly archived in my journal. It's highly reminiscent of my "things to take to college" list, which scant few of you have probably seen(I think?), but is an amazing work. "I have nothing to declare except my genius." And my immodesty. But, really, I know there are at least a few of you flisters out there applying to schools or thinking about it, and there's nothing I love better than babbling on about my life as if it has anything to do with yours.
Some gristle:
antiNats posted an appropriate-to-this-discussion entry after last year's recruiting extravaganza. I have her permission to reproduce it in this space.
Anyway, there are some pretty dumb things people do when interviewing that should be in a book of 101 things NOT to do on an interview. Maybe I will list some of them:
1) Do not say something along the lines of, "Well, I really want to work with Professor Superstar, but I was told to apply to work with Professor Dorky." Especially avoid saying this to Professor Dorky's STUDENTS.
2) Do not ask if you can run the MRI machine from a remote control in your apartment off campus. It sounds badass, but more importantly, it sounds frigging creepy.
3) Do not ask what the consequences are for violating the ethical guidelines for research with human subjects. Nobody likes a sadist.
4) Do not ask the department chair, in front of the other prospectives, if you REALLY have to take the classes. I mean, only do this if you want to get beaten up by the other prospies.
5) Do not ask the current grad students something like, "What if I KNOW everything already when I get here?" I mean, only do this if you want to be beaten up by the current grad students.
6) At least try to FAKE an interest in the research grad students in your prospective lab are doing. That IS what this is about and all, research.
7) It's a mistake to only show up for half of the weekend. People will remember you as the person who wasn't around. It is better to come at a different time when you can stay longer and make a real impression, for better or worse.
8) It is almost always stupid to blatantly ignore the department chair's attempts to converse with you at the faculty party.
9) Don't bother bragging about how you met all these superstars during your interviews, because we have met a lot of them too, and it makes you look like a cocky ass. I can't think of anything funny to say about this.
10) Don't brag about being first alternate somewhere else. That's about the same as bragging that you got rejected.
11) When asked whether you have special dietary restrictions, do not list, "I don't like cilantro." Because it's good for you. Give it a chance.
12) When someone asks you what you want to research, don't name a methodology or tool (eye-tracking, fMRI, etc.). This would be like an architect telling you he is interested in hammering.
13) Do not ask a mature current student where you can buy Ecstasy in the area. Ask the guy with pink hair or something.
14) (My addition) If we're bowling, bowl with us. (This doesn't just apply to bowling.)
The meat:
If you're visiting a graduate program, what should you ask the current students to know about it? Probably this is covered to death in various books that I haven't read (Getting What You Came For comes to mind. That title always reminds me of What To Expect When You're Expecting. But, as I said, I haven't read them. Either of them.) kaitl asked, and to slightly paraphrase a very wise man with a sizable proboscis, "I like to bite. Well, yeah, I guess it's obvious, I also like to write. All you had to do was give Knile a chance." Some things were relevant to college searches, so they may be familiar to you. I don't mean to be condescending in anyway, I'm just trying to be comprehensive & helpful. Some of those things might have been relevant to college searches and you didn't even think of it at the time, so why not factor them into grad school searches? There's a good chunk that's probably relevant to any moving decision. Again, no insult meant, it's just this is what comes to mind when I think of "what I wish I knew/asked". A large number of thing are obviously not deal-breakers, but are just handy things to hold onto when the time comes for them to be relevant, even if it's just to answer another new student's confused question. These should be quite obvious, and maybe they're questions better left until you arrive at your chosen destination. Ah, yes, halcyon days of youth and confusion. How I miss you very little. "
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now."
(Well, I've tried to incorporate friends' & relatives' experiences (hi jennyblues, princessbebop, julescm, way_we_are, and Tom! Among others...) but, you know, I can't help but see the world through Neil-colored glasses. I really like parentheses.)
Housing:
-Is their university-owned campus housing available? Is it any good? Who lives there?
-Might it be cheaper to buy a house than rent? (This is not something to be taken lightly, as I've learned.)
-What are the neighborhoods that students live in? What ones DON'T they, and why not?
-(If it's a XOR) Would you rather choose to live close to campus, or close to night hot spots?
-What's reasonable rent & utilities? What does heat usually run? Electricity? Can you expect individually-adjustable or central air/heat, whatever's appropriate for the climate?
-Is a 12-month lease standard, or because of the proximity of the university, is it 6- or 9- or 0-month?
-What kind of options exist for utilities: phone, Internet (e.g. naked DSL, cable internet, municipal wireless), clean/competitive energy suppliers?
-Is cell coverage reasonable for all providers? How about in the department? What do most people have?
-Is there recycling available in town, and how's it work? (This is quite a topic of contention and consternation and confusion 'round these parts.)
-If you have a car, where will you park at your house? Does the city require permits for on-street parking? Will you have to move your car every 2-25 hours? Can you get multiple permits per dwelling? How well does the city take care of plowing/salting? Should you get snow tires? Are there other factors to consider about driving your current car or planned vehicle in this climate? Should you buy a car when you get there?
-How's the bus system? Is your home near a bus line, whether you take a bus to school or not? Does the university operate some kind of subsidized or shuttle service with a bus company or the city lines?
Admissions, Advising & In-department stuff:
-ADMISSIONS1: Is this visit a "you're pretty much set, we're checking to see if you're a total freak" or a "you're completely in, now we want to charm you" or a "you're pretty good on paper, we'll make real cuts/offers after we meet all of you"? They may not want to tell you this up front. (lingprincess, if you still read this, how'd NWU do it? It was weird somehow, right? ACA, feel free to throw in your memory of it.)
-ADMISSIONS2: This is a tricky time to balance selling yourself and 100% honesty. I had an interviewer (who will remain nameless) ask "What are you scared of, if you come here?" UM, WHAT? Nobody'd prepared me for this. Luckily, I had an answer all lined up. But still. I had to convey that I had a legitimate concern without being a risk.
-ADMISSIONS3: Are you being admitted as a general student of the department? Or is admission dependent on one particular advisor voting for you? I don't know the nitty-gritty of how these things work, but it should be readily apparent. (See also: multiple labs)
-ADMISSIONS4: Will you be individually meeting with faculty members outside of your area? You might be expected to just listen to what they do, or you might have to tell them about what you have done, keeping in mind they're not in your subfield. Tricky, tricky...
-Does your philosophy of your field line up with the departments/advisors? Is it okay if you're agnostic?
-How frequently can you actually expect to meet with your advisor(s)? What are those meetings like? Will you brainstorm together, or will he always want to see new data?
-Does he travel a lot?
-Does he have other commitments (to the university or department) that may take up lots of his time and create schedule conflicts? If he does, this is a good sign that they're valued by the university, but they may be very busy.
-Does the advisor have a large number of students? Or are you part of a select few? If it's a large number, are advising duties of some of those students shared with other faculty members? If it's only a few--or you'd be his only student--is that because of his selectivity or because of students' decisions?
-Will these meetings be short & sweet, or drawn-out & thought-provoking?
-Does your advisor respond to late-night e-mails? Lengthy diatribes? What kind of responses are they?
-Does your advisor genuinely care about your development as a person, or just as a researcher? Are they sympathetic to non-school stresses? Does she seem to have a healthy life outside the office? (What do you want them to do, too?)
-Will you spend your first semester/year JUST reading to prepare you for research?
-Might you be setup with a more senior grad student to work on a project when you get there? Or will you be expected to start from scratch on your own work? And how much say do you get in which project you get put on? Does that pattern continue, of your advisor suggesting collaborations? Is that a good thing historically for students?
-Are your projects completely dependent on your advisors' wishes/funding/whims?
-If the project is federally funded, who's the agency in charge? Does this work okay with your morals? Do they check up on you in someway - either background checks or progress reports?
-Will you be asked to contribute to grant writing in any fashion during your stay?
-Will you be expected or encouraged to apply for your own funding at any point? Does that get added on top of any particular stipend/fellowship you may be on? Do you get the standard+difference?
-What goes on in lab meetings? (I've seen the gamut.) Are they all practical about equipment & scheduling? Do people use them as rich breeding grounds for ideas? Does one person present per week? (In which case, you'd maybe present on your work once every month or semester.) Are they more like journal clubs? How are first years expected to participate?
-Can you attend multiple labs' meetings without problem (see jisalynn's bit about politics)? This is especially important in your first year if you're not tied down, so you can feel them out and know what people are doing?
-How mandatory is attendance at lab meetings? (i.e. Can you skip if you've got more pressing issues/aren't interested, or is that REALLY frowned upon?)
-What's the structure of the department? Are there several major research areas, with some overlap? No overlap? How does the department interface with others: Are there a variety of research centers your department/advisor may be affiliated with? What does this mean for you, really? (More talks you're expected to attend? Different funding sources? Better toys?)
-Do people actually come into the office? Is it expected that you're there 9-5 (or 24/7 in some labs), or are people cool about your working at home/elsewhere?
-Are office spaces quiet & work-oriented? Or social?
-Is there a meeting space that's available for people to kick ideas around outside their office?
-What kind of talks are you expected to attend? Is it easy to find out what talks of interest are going on in other departments? Are students responsible for organizing any kind of guest speakers, in-house talk series?
-What kind of formal talks are you expected to give? And when? How scary is it supposed to be, and what are the expectation/demands on you for it?
-Does the program hold an annual event (workshop, conference) that you might be expected to help organize/run during an otherwise normal work week/weekend? Recruiting weekend's a given..
-Are you allowed to take courses outside the department & your requirements? Either for fun or for work-related edification? What hoops must you jump through to do so? How about auditing/sitting in?
-Generally speaking, how much latitude are you given with the curriculum? Is there a set path you will take with all of your cohort? Or is it dependent on interests & advisor's expectations?
-Can you maybe do a joint degree with another department, should you wish it? What requirements are there for that?
-Will you interact with post-docs much? How so? Do they add to the academic atmosphere or do their own thing?
-If you're in a lab, what kind of management and support is there for the practical side of thing like running subjects and maintaining equipment? Do grad students do everything, with the PI sitting in her office cackling & doing that Mr. Burns thing with her hands? Is there a lab manager? Can you hire undergrads as RAs to do certain tasks? Which tasks? And when can you do that?
-What kind of funding is there for conferences? Do you have to front any costs for them, even if they are "covered"? Does everybody from your lab go to one conference in particular together? If so, what are expectations about sharing travel, housing, meals, attending certain events?
-Is there a "first year project" that you have to complete in a certain time frame? What happens if you don't?
Are you expected to submit this for publication or presentation? What other expectations are there about such submissions?
-What do you have to do for qualifying/comprehensive/preliminary exams? Are they oral or written? Are they individualized? Will you be taking them at the same time as everyone else in your cohort?) What do people call them? How long do people take to study, then sit, them?
-What are your TAing responsibilities - how many semesters, what level? What's a "good" class to TA for, and why? Do you have to fulfill other teaching requirements solo? Are there opportunities for this?
-How's the department holding up over time? Are faculty members leaving for greener pastures, or for any other reason? Is the department looking to expand in the near future?
-What's the political (for once, I'm talking national level politics) climate? Do people speak pretty freely, or is it taboo? Will you be mocked for being the only Libertarian among Democrats?
-When it comes time for you to graduate, what's the usual order of things? Will your advisor not let you graduate until you have a job lined up? Do they have contacts in industry, if that's where you're headed? Will they browse their own network to help you get a postdoc in a beneficial lab? How do their graduated students feel about them & their work? Have they made a name for themselves? Do collaborations continue after you graduate? (This is really hard to tell, probably, but current students should know if those who've finished end up publishing about their grad work later.) While you're a student, are collaborations with other universities encouraged?
Summers:
-Do you get summer funding, or is it dependent on other things like teaching/research?
-What are you expected to do, if you do? Do lab meetings still go on? What's an acceptable length to be on vacation for, if any? Are people looser about hours from day-to-day?
-If you don't get it automatically or through conventional means, what are other options that are encouraged/available for summer funding? (Internships with companies, summer school programs elsewhere, teaching at CTY)
-Is the university empty of undergrads during summer? What does this mean for you? (Will the gym instead be filled with football camp attendees? Do dining halls shut down entirely? Are transportation options altered somehow?)
-Is the building air conditioned?
-If you bike to campus, are there bike racks? Bike paths? How bike-friendly are drivers & campus?
Administrative:
-Is the support staff knowledgeable about what they need to know - and more? You'd be surprised at some places how worthless they can be. (I am NOT referring to BCS or LING or any department I know at Rochester. I'm not just saying that; I mean it. The admin staffs of the departments I encounter are very good at what they do. Way better than their peers at other places, from what I've heard.) How well do they treat the students?
-Can you get personal packages delivered to your department address?
-Do you get a computer when you come in? Is it brand new, or an old clunker? (Does this depend on your funding source/advisor?) Do you get admin privileges so you can install software? Are certain software packages verboten (AIM, Skype, iTunes)?
-If you get a laptop, who's responsible if it's lost/stolen/damaged?
-Is the department Mac or PC or Linux or heterogeneous mixture?
-Are you able to access your files/lab file from off-campus, via FTP or SSH or VNC?
-If software is critical to your research, what freedom do you get in choosing what packages you use? If anything you use is esoteric or custom, are there in-house experts available? What about equipment? Are these people accessible, and will they teach you what they know (versus just doing it for you)?
-Does your lab have a repository of useful scripts, HowTos, software guides, CDs you can install from?
-What are the proper channels to purchase necessary software?
-Is your IT support dedicated to the department, or throughout the university? Should you know certain ways of buttering them up? (Yes. But HOW?)
-If you bring your laptop in from home for the day, can you get on the network easily?
-Is there wireless available? How extensively? No, really, how extensively?
-How do office supplies get handled? Is there a storeroom that you need to sign things out of? Can you grab and go as you please? Can you make requests if you need something?
-Are printing and/or copying on some kind of pay-system where you're limited to $X per semester?
-Is there any kind of textbook fund to help you pay for them, or are you on your own?
-Do you get an office?
-How are offices arranged - by year, advisor, randomly?
-Is there any sort of orientation program? To tour you relevant buildings & campus, hear about what campus resources there are, meet important people (IT guy, admin staff), meet students/faculty you didn't meet at recruiting weekend
-Can you find a microwave to use after hours?
-Is there a communal fridge? Can you bring one for your own office?
-Is coffee readily available in the department, or do you have to pay for it elsewhere? Are you expected to contribue some token amount toward the purchase of coffee? What about non-coffee options?
-What else is there to know about late-night department use? (Locked outer doors, lack of access to vending machines, copiers)
On Campus:
-What's the university library system like? Are journal subscriptions fairly extensive, or are there noticeable gaps that are frequently a problem for students? Off-campus online access? Are there books/movies/music available for personal use? Will you have to bounce between various libraries of the university to get certain journals?
-Is there study space in the library? Can you reserve it and/or leave books there in a locker?
-When's it open? (See also Summers)
-Where else on campus can you study? Lounges? Coffeeshops? Speaking of which, are you going to have issues with a non-Starbucks on-campus coffee provider? In that case, where is the nearest Starbucks?
-Is there a university clinic? What are its hours? Who do you have to get in touch with if you have a medical situation at off-hours?
-What are health insurance options? Is there eye/dental coverage? How about prescriptions? Can you stay on your parents/etc. if you'd rather? Can you claim spouses/dependents? Do you have to get referred to a specialist, or can you up & go?
-A student I know once asked, either as a prospective student or as a brand new student, "What if I want to have a baby?" The advisor responded, "Well, we do try to train our students in a great many number of things." (Anybody who knows the story better is welcome to make corrections on how it went down/gets told. I've heard it but once.)
-Are there mental health support services as well? How does this get dealt with: time-limited model, unlimited, part of regular health insurance? How about prescriptions?
-What gym facilities are there? Are they busy? Well-maintained? Can you rent a locker? Get towel service? Does it cost money to be a member? When's it open? (See: Summer) Is it a better investment to invest in a private gym membership elsewhere?
-Are there pickup games of basketball/hockey/squash available?
-Can you participate in intramurals, either on a department team or with other grad?
-How's security on campus? Do people feel safe? Are there car break-ins/theft/vandalism? What does it take if you're locked out of your office? Need a jump for your car? Can you get a walking escort to your car late at night? Is there a shuttle service on/around campus, for parking lots or other necessities? (Props to Hopkins for having a free service that takes you to grocery stores EVERY NIGHT.) Is security a uniformed security guard force? Armed? Sworn-in police? State police? Are they chill helpful friendly folk, or jackbooted thugs? What's the alcohol policy on campus? (Handy to know when you walk out of a happy hour with a drink in your hand onto the quad. Not that I've done that.)
-What happens if you lose your school ID?
-What happens if you lose your office/lab keys?
-Are you afforded many of the same privileges and price breaks as undergrads on events on-campus?
-Are there secret perks of being a grad student? (Longer library checkouts, access to locations?)
-Are there other universities/colleges in the area that have events & talk series & libraries that you should know about? How do you get to them? How do you get access to them?
-Where are you allowed to park, and when? How about on weekends/breaks? Is there a parking gestapo who'll boot your car? Can you get day passes for yourself if you're not a regular parker?
-What does the university do in the case of inclement weather? Will you need "another layer of fashion" for new climates?
Life as a grad student/semi-grownup:
-How insular a group is the program? Are there politics? Do they ONLY hang out with each other? Primarily? Not at all? Do people get along? How much programcest is there? Is there a set schedule of "On Mondays, we don't do anything. On Tuesdays, we go to trivia at Our Bar. On Wednesdays, we wear pink"...? Or are people up for new suggestions?
-When the group is not at the office/lab, but is out at a social event, do people end up talking about work a lot? Work gossip? Is there a group-imposed "ban" on, or good-natured penalty for, talking shop? (This one's for ithinksobrain)
-Can you get away with hanging out with non-program friends? You'd better hope so!:)
-(Same question as 1, but different) How much do people in your program interact socially and/or academically with people outside of it? Again, is there politics here? How do other students in the university view your peers? (I know you shouldn't care what other people think, but at least it's handy to know your rep around campus.)
-What are student/advisor interactions like? Will your advisor take you out for a beer now & then to chat about life (or work, for that matter)? Are there laidback parties at faculty members' houses? Does the department organize outings together? Or create some kind of regular activity?(Softball and bowling come to mind. (Here, I'll repeat that which bears repeating: It's very helpful for you to know if this is what you want or not, too! Just because it's not there, doesn't mean it's a bad place.)
-What's the bar/social scene like? Is there just one central area, or are there neighborhood pubs? Are the bars meat markets for undergrads/yuppies or is there a variety?
-Is there a smoking ban in effect in this town/state?
-How do people meet friends outside the program, once they know the lay of the land? Clubs, volunteering, religious affiliation?
-Can you attend religious services on campus? Or are there appropriate places of worship nearby?
-If you're bringing a significant other, how does that go over with the crowd - both faculty & peers? Does this make it harder or easier to be "one of us"? Is the SO welcome at department events, esp. the official social ones?
-Is there a graduate student council that facilitates social interactions, advocacy within the University, sponsors events of interest to grad students?
-Have graduate students unionized? If so, what does that mean for you?
-How do people find out what's going on around town? Are free independent weekly newspapers available? Particularly helpful Web sites (Shout out to JayceLand right now, and also to RocWiki for providing me SO much knowledge about Rochester)?
-What's there to do in town, music & entertainment wise? Can you go out (salsa/booty/pole) dancing? Hole in the wall indie clubs? The Opera? Symphony? Comedy clubs? Theatre? Museums?
-Is there a medium-to-large venue of some sort that has major acts/events at it sometimes that you might want to see?
-Will you have to squelch your team affiliations or jump on some strange bandwagon?
-If you're in a Big Football Town, what does this realistically mean for you on Game Day?
-Are any of the above things cheap/free, or can you get student discounts on tickets? (As I remarked to a friend last night, "When your income is already lowish, magically the cost of living also goes down" in re: student-priced theater tickets. "It is pretty nice to have culture subsidized.")
-How IS the quality of life given grad student stipend (if any)? Do people feel like they're just barely scraping by? Or are they comfortable, with money to spend on nice things sometimes, or even manage to do financially responsible things with it?
-Are there quick sources of income: clinical trials at a medical school, proctoring exams, grading within the department?
-Are you able to get student loans through the Financial Aid office should you need them?
-Is there a discount program for local businesses you can sign up for somehow with your University? Or is it by virtue of having an ID?
-Can grad students get involved with student groups of any sort, other than the GSC listed above? How does the department feel about it? Will you be seen as "the sketchy grad student" by the undergrads? Is it ever a conflict with work demands? (If so, is it feasible to take a week/semester off?)
-What is the culture, and traditions, of your program? Are successful defenses celebrated? Is there a particular annual party that you'll be forever shunned if you don't attend? Are there weekly happy hours?
-What makes the town interesting? Does it have strange cultural aspects you should know about? Are there music/neighborhood/art festivals in the summer? Free movies at parks? Cool neighborhoods that the tourists don't see?
-Where can you go to "get away" from the bustle of town/campus? Big parks? Rural areas outside the city? Can you go camping? Skiing? Canoeing? Are there running trails in/out of the city? Bike paths?
-What are good day trips to other cities? (Most places I've lived advertise that they're "just X hours from Y, Z, and A!" Unless the university is IN Boston, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco, LA, Portland or Seattle, in which case they don't need to entice you to go to some other city. I'm making assumptions about the West Coast, given my lack of travel experience. Hello? dzou, chanzi, tabsq? Are you guys still on this Internet thing? I haven't heard from any of y'all in a while.)
-How good is the local airport? How do you get there from school/home? Is it a pain to deal with, or relatively painless Are flights available to many destinations, or just a few? What budget carriers operate that'll get you where you want to go? Is Amtrak a viable option? (Is it ever?:)
-If you're in town for a break that many people leave for, what are your options? (i.e. Does your advisor invite you over for Thanksgiving if you can't travel home for it?)
-What's local traffic like? Is there a legitimate rush hour that you can avoid somehow on your way in/home? What's weird about drivers in this city?
-Do people have recommendations for a good mechanic? Hair place? Dry cleaner? Tailor? Florist? Used bookstore? Indie movie shop? Indie movie house? Wines and spirits? What are the local blue laws that you'll have to cope with?
-What thrift stores are nearby for convenient furnishing & so forth?
-How does one get to the nearest local mall? The best local mall?
-Is there a good public library that you can join?
-What's the local radio scene? Is NPR only on AM? Only on FM? Does the university have a radio station? Is it any good?
-What late night options are there on & around campus for food? Delivery? Places that are a short, safe walk for food to go? Diners? Coffeeshops?
-Are there sources of free food regularly?
-Do people in the program eat lunch together, or at their desks, or what? Is there a designated on-campus gathering spot & time?
-What's a nice place to go out to eat? (This is handy for visitors on the department's dime, parents, foreign dignitaries, dates.)
-Good and/or cheap dessert place? (Again, mad linky props to Vaccaro's and Phillips.)
-What are the quirks of the local grocery store chains? Are there alternatives available - co-op, ethnic grocery store, natural foods stores. How available is organic produce in general? Where can you find farmer's markets? Delis? A massive selection of beers? What delight from a previous home region can you NOT you find in this new place, and is there any workaround? (Find this out sooner, rather than later.) Dialect goes a long way: "hots" are two very different things in my 2 "adult" cities, and I'd never needed the word - or a name for its referents - before. Are there local delicacies you should know about?
*phew* Ends on an odd note, but my brain is emptied. I suppose a good bottom-line is, when all else fails, ask the current students there what THEY wish they knew earlier about where they are. And make sure to bond with at least one of them, so that 1) you have a contact should you have further questions, and 2) you have a senior friend, should you end up there. You're certainly not to neglect your fellow visiting prospectives (if any), or you'll look unfriendly & they will never want to be your colleague. Or something like that.
The other thing (this is like my 3rd edit after posting this) that might be useful, or completely ridiculous, is "go with your gut". If it feels right, they're probably not bullshitting you. If you feel creeped out or that something's amiss, well, you don't want to spend 5-7 year with a pit in your stomach. I claim that I knew within 3 hours of getting to Rochester - when I was chilling at the Mt. Hope Starbucks with magnolia77sc, SBS, and Liz W - that I would be happy here. Then it was just a question of playing the rest of the weekend right, and making sure everything else checked out. (Like, you know, meeting faculty members and all. Minor stuff:))
And that's why I didn't go to the office today. WOW That's long. Those of you who've gone the the process too, feel free to throw in your $.10, correct me where I'm out of line, and so on. (Super-fun exercise for current students: How would you answer these if a prospective asks you any or all of them? Print it out & answer it like a worksheet in 4th grade. I'm kidding, I think.)
It's time for meal! Then lexicon-searching! Then sleep!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 License.
All this started for kaitl, whom I don't even know! Ah, strangers on the Internet, exchanging information. It was based on a discussion over in comments at jisalynn's entry from a few days ago. But this was far too big to post over there, and I also want it publicly archived in my journal. It's highly reminiscent of my "things to take to college" list, which scant few of you have probably seen(I think?), but is an amazing work. "I have nothing to declare except my genius." And my immodesty. But, really, I know there are at least a few of you flisters out there applying to schools or thinking about it, and there's nothing I love better than babbling on about my life as if it has anything to do with yours.
Some gristle:
antiNats posted an appropriate-to-this-discussion entry after last year's recruiting extravaganza. I have her permission to reproduce it in this space.
Anyway, there are some pretty dumb things people do when interviewing that should be in a book of 101 things NOT to do on an interview. Maybe I will list some of them:
1) Do not say something along the lines of, "Well, I really want to work with Professor Superstar, but I was told to apply to work with Professor Dorky." Especially avoid saying this to Professor Dorky's STUDENTS.
2) Do not ask if you can run the MRI machine from a remote control in your apartment off campus. It sounds badass, but more importantly, it sounds frigging creepy.
3) Do not ask what the consequences are for violating the ethical guidelines for research with human subjects. Nobody likes a sadist.
4) Do not ask the department chair, in front of the other prospectives, if you REALLY have to take the classes. I mean, only do this if you want to get beaten up by the other prospies.
5) Do not ask the current grad students something like, "What if I KNOW everything already when I get here?" I mean, only do this if you want to be beaten up by the current grad students.
6) At least try to FAKE an interest in the research grad students in your prospective lab are doing. That IS what this is about and all, research.
7) It's a mistake to only show up for half of the weekend. People will remember you as the person who wasn't around. It is better to come at a different time when you can stay longer and make a real impression, for better or worse.
8) It is almost always stupid to blatantly ignore the department chair's attempts to converse with you at the faculty party.
9) Don't bother bragging about how you met all these superstars during your interviews, because we have met a lot of them too, and it makes you look like a cocky ass. I can't think of anything funny to say about this.
10) Don't brag about being first alternate somewhere else. That's about the same as bragging that you got rejected.
11) When asked whether you have special dietary restrictions, do not list, "I don't like cilantro." Because it's good for you. Give it a chance.
12) When someone asks you what you want to research, don't name a methodology or tool (eye-tracking, fMRI, etc.). This would be like an architect telling you he is interested in hammering.
13) Do not ask a mature current student where you can buy Ecstasy in the area. Ask the guy with pink hair or something.
14) (My addition) If we're bowling, bowl with us. (This doesn't just apply to bowling.)
The meat:
If you're visiting a graduate program, what should you ask the current students to know about it? Probably this is covered to death in various books that I haven't read (Getting What You Came For comes to mind. That title always reminds me of What To Expect When You're Expecting. But, as I said, I haven't read them. Either of them.) kaitl asked, and to slightly paraphrase a very wise man with a sizable proboscis, "I like to bite. Well, yeah, I guess it's obvious, I also like to write. All you had to do was give Knile a chance." Some things were relevant to college searches, so they may be familiar to you. I don't mean to be condescending in anyway, I'm just trying to be comprehensive & helpful. Some of those things might have been relevant to college searches and you didn't even think of it at the time, so why not factor them into grad school searches? There's a good chunk that's probably relevant to any moving decision. Again, no insult meant, it's just this is what comes to mind when I think of "what I wish I knew/asked". A large number of thing are obviously not deal-breakers, but are just handy things to hold onto when the time comes for them to be relevant, even if it's just to answer another new student's confused question. These should be quite obvious, and maybe they're questions better left until you arrive at your chosen destination. Ah, yes, halcyon days of youth and confusion. How I miss you very little. "
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now."
(Well, I've tried to incorporate friends' & relatives' experiences (hi jennyblues, princessbebop, julescm, way_we_are, and Tom! Among others...) but, you know, I can't help but see the world through Neil-colored glasses. I really like parentheses.)
Housing:
-Is their university-owned campus housing available? Is it any good? Who lives there?
-Might it be cheaper to buy a house than rent? (This is not something to be taken lightly, as I've learned.)
-What are the neighborhoods that students live in? What ones DON'T they, and why not?
-(If it's a XOR) Would you rather choose to live close to campus, or close to night hot spots?
-What's reasonable rent & utilities? What does heat usually run? Electricity? Can you expect individually-adjustable or central air/heat, whatever's appropriate for the climate?
-Is a 12-month lease standard, or because of the proximity of the university, is it 6- or 9- or 0-month?
-What kind of options exist for utilities: phone, Internet (e.g. naked DSL, cable internet, municipal wireless), clean/competitive energy suppliers?
-Is cell coverage reasonable for all providers? How about in the department? What do most people have?
-Is there recycling available in town, and how's it work? (This is quite a topic of contention and consternation and confusion 'round these parts.)
-If you have a car, where will you park at your house? Does the city require permits for on-street parking? Will you have to move your car every 2-25 hours? Can you get multiple permits per dwelling? How well does the city take care of plowing/salting? Should you get snow tires? Are there other factors to consider about driving your current car or planned vehicle in this climate? Should you buy a car when you get there?
-How's the bus system? Is your home near a bus line, whether you take a bus to school or not? Does the university operate some kind of subsidized or shuttle service with a bus company or the city lines?
Admissions, Advising & In-department stuff:
-ADMISSIONS1: Is this visit a "you're pretty much set, we're checking to see if you're a total freak" or a "you're completely in, now we want to charm you" or a "you're pretty good on paper, we'll make real cuts/offers after we meet all of you"? They may not want to tell you this up front. (lingprincess, if you still read this, how'd NWU do it? It was weird somehow, right? ACA, feel free to throw in your memory of it.)
-ADMISSIONS2: This is a tricky time to balance selling yourself and 100% honesty. I had an interviewer (who will remain nameless) ask "What are you scared of, if you come here?" UM, WHAT? Nobody'd prepared me for this. Luckily, I had an answer all lined up. But still. I had to convey that I had a legitimate concern without being a risk.
-ADMISSIONS3: Are you being admitted as a general student of the department? Or is admission dependent on one particular advisor voting for you? I don't know the nitty-gritty of how these things work, but it should be readily apparent. (See also: multiple labs)
-ADMISSIONS4: Will you be individually meeting with faculty members outside of your area? You might be expected to just listen to what they do, or you might have to tell them about what you have done, keeping in mind they're not in your subfield. Tricky, tricky...
-Does your philosophy of your field line up with the departments/advisors? Is it okay if you're agnostic?
-How frequently can you actually expect to meet with your advisor(s)? What are those meetings like? Will you brainstorm together, or will he always want to see new data?
-Does he travel a lot?
-Does he have other commitments (to the university or department) that may take up lots of his time and create schedule conflicts? If he does, this is a good sign that they're valued by the university, but they may be very busy.
-Does the advisor have a large number of students? Or are you part of a select few? If it's a large number, are advising duties of some of those students shared with other faculty members? If it's only a few--or you'd be his only student--is that because of his selectivity or because of students' decisions?
-Will these meetings be short & sweet, or drawn-out & thought-provoking?
-Does your advisor respond to late-night e-mails? Lengthy diatribes? What kind of responses are they?
-Does your advisor genuinely care about your development as a person, or just as a researcher? Are they sympathetic to non-school stresses? Does she seem to have a healthy life outside the office? (What do you want them to do, too?)
-Will you spend your first semester/year JUST reading to prepare you for research?
-Might you be setup with a more senior grad student to work on a project when you get there? Or will you be expected to start from scratch on your own work? And how much say do you get in which project you get put on? Does that pattern continue, of your advisor suggesting collaborations? Is that a good thing historically for students?
-Are your projects completely dependent on your advisors' wishes/funding/whims?
-If the project is federally funded, who's the agency in charge? Does this work okay with your morals? Do they check up on you in someway - either background checks or progress reports?
-Will you be asked to contribute to grant writing in any fashion during your stay?
-Will you be expected or encouraged to apply for your own funding at any point? Does that get added on top of any particular stipend/fellowship you may be on? Do you get the standard+difference?
-What goes on in lab meetings? (I've seen the gamut.) Are they all practical about equipment & scheduling? Do people use them as rich breeding grounds for ideas? Does one person present per week? (In which case, you'd maybe present on your work once every month or semester.) Are they more like journal clubs? How are first years expected to participate?
-Can you attend multiple labs' meetings without problem (see jisalynn's bit about politics)? This is especially important in your first year if you're not tied down, so you can feel them out and know what people are doing?
-How mandatory is attendance at lab meetings? (i.e. Can you skip if you've got more pressing issues/aren't interested, or is that REALLY frowned upon?)
-What's the structure of the department? Are there several major research areas, with some overlap? No overlap? How does the department interface with others: Are there a variety of research centers your department/advisor may be affiliated with? What does this mean for you, really? (More talks you're expected to attend? Different funding sources? Better toys?)
-Do people actually come into the office? Is it expected that you're there 9-5 (or 24/7 in some labs), or are people cool about your working at home/elsewhere?
-Are office spaces quiet & work-oriented? Or social?
-Is there a meeting space that's available for people to kick ideas around outside their office?
-What kind of talks are you expected to attend? Is it easy to find out what talks of interest are going on in other departments? Are students responsible for organizing any kind of guest speakers, in-house talk series?
-What kind of formal talks are you expected to give? And when? How scary is it supposed to be, and what are the expectation/demands on you for it?
-Does the program hold an annual event (workshop, conference) that you might be expected to help organize/run during an otherwise normal work week/weekend? Recruiting weekend's a given..
-Are you allowed to take courses outside the department & your requirements? Either for fun or for work-related edification? What hoops must you jump through to do so? How about auditing/sitting in?
-Generally speaking, how much latitude are you given with the curriculum? Is there a set path you will take with all of your cohort? Or is it dependent on interests & advisor's expectations?
-Can you maybe do a joint degree with another department, should you wish it? What requirements are there for that?
-Will you interact with post-docs much? How so? Do they add to the academic atmosphere or do their own thing?
-If you're in a lab, what kind of management and support is there for the practical side of thing like running subjects and maintaining equipment? Do grad students do everything, with the PI sitting in her office cackling & doing that Mr. Burns thing with her hands? Is there a lab manager? Can you hire undergrads as RAs to do certain tasks? Which tasks? And when can you do that?
-What kind of funding is there for conferences? Do you have to front any costs for them, even if they are "covered"? Does everybody from your lab go to one conference in particular together? If so, what are expectations about sharing travel, housing, meals, attending certain events?
-Is there a "first year project" that you have to complete in a certain time frame? What happens if you don't?
Are you expected to submit this for publication or presentation? What other expectations are there about such submissions?
-What do you have to do for qualifying/comprehensive/preliminary exams? Are they oral or written? Are they individualized? Will you be taking them at the same time as everyone else in your cohort?) What do people call them? How long do people take to study, then sit, them?
-What are your TAing responsibilities - how many semesters, what level? What's a "good" class to TA for, and why? Do you have to fulfill other teaching requirements solo? Are there opportunities for this?
-How's the department holding up over time? Are faculty members leaving for greener pastures, or for any other reason? Is the department looking to expand in the near future?
-What's the political (for once, I'm talking national level politics) climate? Do people speak pretty freely, or is it taboo? Will you be mocked for being the only Libertarian among Democrats?
-When it comes time for you to graduate, what's the usual order of things? Will your advisor not let you graduate until you have a job lined up? Do they have contacts in industry, if that's where you're headed? Will they browse their own network to help you get a postdoc in a beneficial lab? How do their graduated students feel about them & their work? Have they made a name for themselves? Do collaborations continue after you graduate? (This is really hard to tell, probably, but current students should know if those who've finished end up publishing about their grad work later.) While you're a student, are collaborations with other universities encouraged?
Summers:
-Do you get summer funding, or is it dependent on other things like teaching/research?
-What are you expected to do, if you do? Do lab meetings still go on? What's an acceptable length to be on vacation for, if any? Are people looser about hours from day-to-day?
-If you don't get it automatically or through conventional means, what are other options that are encouraged/available for summer funding? (Internships with companies, summer school programs elsewhere, teaching at CTY)
-Is the university empty of undergrads during summer? What does this mean for you? (Will the gym instead be filled with football camp attendees? Do dining halls shut down entirely? Are transportation options altered somehow?)
-Is the building air conditioned?
-If you bike to campus, are there bike racks? Bike paths? How bike-friendly are drivers & campus?
Administrative:
-Is the support staff knowledgeable about what they need to know - and more? You'd be surprised at some places how worthless they can be. (I am NOT referring to BCS or LING or any department I know at Rochester. I'm not just saying that; I mean it. The admin staffs of the departments I encounter are very good at what they do. Way better than their peers at other places, from what I've heard.) How well do they treat the students?
-Can you get personal packages delivered to your department address?
-Do you get a computer when you come in? Is it brand new, or an old clunker? (Does this depend on your funding source/advisor?) Do you get admin privileges so you can install software? Are certain software packages verboten (AIM, Skype, iTunes)?
-If you get a laptop, who's responsible if it's lost/stolen/damaged?
-Is the department Mac or PC or Linux or heterogeneous mixture?
-Are you able to access your files/lab file from off-campus, via FTP or SSH or VNC?
-If software is critical to your research, what freedom do you get in choosing what packages you use? If anything you use is esoteric or custom, are there in-house experts available? What about equipment? Are these people accessible, and will they teach you what they know (versus just doing it for you)?
-Does your lab have a repository of useful scripts, HowTos, software guides, CDs you can install from?
-What are the proper channels to purchase necessary software?
-Is your IT support dedicated to the department, or throughout the university? Should you know certain ways of buttering them up? (Yes. But HOW?)
-If you bring your laptop in from home for the day, can you get on the network easily?
-Is there wireless available? How extensively? No, really, how extensively?
-How do office supplies get handled? Is there a storeroom that you need to sign things out of? Can you grab and go as you please? Can you make requests if you need something?
-Are printing and/or copying on some kind of pay-system where you're limited to $X per semester?
-Is there any kind of textbook fund to help you pay for them, or are you on your own?
-Do you get an office?
-How are offices arranged - by year, advisor, randomly?
-Is there any sort of orientation program? To tour you relevant buildings & campus, hear about what campus resources there are, meet important people (IT guy, admin staff), meet students/faculty you didn't meet at recruiting weekend
-Can you find a microwave to use after hours?
-Is there a communal fridge? Can you bring one for your own office?
-Is coffee readily available in the department, or do you have to pay for it elsewhere? Are you expected to contribue some token amount toward the purchase of coffee? What about non-coffee options?
-What else is there to know about late-night department use? (Locked outer doors, lack of access to vending machines, copiers)
On Campus:
-What's the university library system like? Are journal subscriptions fairly extensive, or are there noticeable gaps that are frequently a problem for students? Off-campus online access? Are there books/movies/music available for personal use? Will you have to bounce between various libraries of the university to get certain journals?
-Is there study space in the library? Can you reserve it and/or leave books there in a locker?
-When's it open? (See also Summers)
-Where else on campus can you study? Lounges? Coffeeshops? Speaking of which, are you going to have issues with a non-Starbucks on-campus coffee provider? In that case, where is the nearest Starbucks?
-Is there a university clinic? What are its hours? Who do you have to get in touch with if you have a medical situation at off-hours?
-What are health insurance options? Is there eye/dental coverage? How about prescriptions? Can you stay on your parents/etc. if you'd rather? Can you claim spouses/dependents? Do you have to get referred to a specialist, or can you up & go?
-A student I know once asked, either as a prospective student or as a brand new student, "What if I want to have a baby?" The advisor responded, "Well, we do try to train our students in a great many number of things." (Anybody who knows the story better is welcome to make corrections on how it went down/gets told. I've heard it but once.)
-Are there mental health support services as well? How does this get dealt with: time-limited model, unlimited, part of regular health insurance? How about prescriptions?
-What gym facilities are there? Are they busy? Well-maintained? Can you rent a locker? Get towel service? Does it cost money to be a member? When's it open? (See: Summer) Is it a better investment to invest in a private gym membership elsewhere?
-Are there pickup games of basketball/hockey/squash available?
-Can you participate in intramurals, either on a department team or with other grad?
-How's security on campus? Do people feel safe? Are there car break-ins/theft/vandalism? What does it take if you're locked out of your office? Need a jump for your car? Can you get a walking escort to your car late at night? Is there a shuttle service on/around campus, for parking lots or other necessities? (Props to Hopkins for having a free service that takes you to grocery stores EVERY NIGHT.) Is security a uniformed security guard force? Armed? Sworn-in police? State police? Are they chill helpful friendly folk, or jackbooted thugs? What's the alcohol policy on campus? (Handy to know when you walk out of a happy hour with a drink in your hand onto the quad. Not that I've done that.)
-What happens if you lose your school ID?
-What happens if you lose your office/lab keys?
-Are you afforded many of the same privileges and price breaks as undergrads on events on-campus?
-Are there secret perks of being a grad student? (Longer library checkouts, access to locations?)
-Are there other universities/colleges in the area that have events & talk series & libraries that you should know about? How do you get to them? How do you get access to them?
-Where are you allowed to park, and when? How about on weekends/breaks? Is there a parking gestapo who'll boot your car? Can you get day passes for yourself if you're not a regular parker?
-What does the university do in the case of inclement weather? Will you need "another layer of fashion" for new climates?
Life as a grad student/semi-grownup:
-How insular a group is the program? Are there politics? Do they ONLY hang out with each other? Primarily? Not at all? Do people get along? How much programcest is there? Is there a set schedule of "On Mondays, we don't do anything. On Tuesdays, we go to trivia at Our Bar. On Wednesdays, we wear pink"...? Or are people up for new suggestions?
-When the group is not at the office/lab, but is out at a social event, do people end up talking about work a lot? Work gossip? Is there a group-imposed "ban" on, or good-natured penalty for, talking shop? (This one's for ithinksobrain)
-Can you get away with hanging out with non-program friends? You'd better hope so!:)
-(Same question as 1, but different) How much do people in your program interact socially and/or academically with people outside of it? Again, is there politics here? How do other students in the university view your peers? (I know you shouldn't care what other people think, but at least it's handy to know your rep around campus.)
-What are student/advisor interactions like? Will your advisor take you out for a beer now & then to chat about life (or work, for that matter)? Are there laidback parties at faculty members' houses? Does the department organize outings together? Or create some kind of regular activity?(Softball and bowling come to mind. (Here, I'll repeat that which bears repeating: It's very helpful for you to know if this is what you want or not, too! Just because it's not there, doesn't mean it's a bad place.)
-What's the bar/social scene like? Is there just one central area, or are there neighborhood pubs? Are the bars meat markets for undergrads/yuppies or is there a variety?
-Is there a smoking ban in effect in this town/state?
-How do people meet friends outside the program, once they know the lay of the land? Clubs, volunteering, religious affiliation?
-Can you attend religious services on campus? Or are there appropriate places of worship nearby?
-If you're bringing a significant other, how does that go over with the crowd - both faculty & peers? Does this make it harder or easier to be "one of us"? Is the SO welcome at department events, esp. the official social ones?
-Is there a graduate student council that facilitates social interactions, advocacy within the University, sponsors events of interest to grad students?
-Have graduate students unionized? If so, what does that mean for you?
-How do people find out what's going on around town? Are free independent weekly newspapers available? Particularly helpful Web sites (Shout out to JayceLand right now, and also to RocWiki for providing me SO much knowledge about Rochester)?
-What's there to do in town, music & entertainment wise? Can you go out (salsa/booty/pole) dancing? Hole in the wall indie clubs? The Opera? Symphony? Comedy clubs? Theatre? Museums?
-Is there a medium-to-large venue of some sort that has major acts/events at it sometimes that you might want to see?
-Will you have to squelch your team affiliations or jump on some strange bandwagon?
-If you're in a Big Football Town, what does this realistically mean for you on Game Day?
-Are any of the above things cheap/free, or can you get student discounts on tickets? (As I remarked to a friend last night, "When your income is already lowish, magically the cost of living also goes down" in re: student-priced theater tickets. "It is pretty nice to have culture subsidized.")
-How IS the quality of life given grad student stipend (if any)? Do people feel like they're just barely scraping by? Or are they comfortable, with money to spend on nice things sometimes, or even manage to do financially responsible things with it?
-Are there quick sources of income: clinical trials at a medical school, proctoring exams, grading within the department?
-Are you able to get student loans through the Financial Aid office should you need them?
-Is there a discount program for local businesses you can sign up for somehow with your University? Or is it by virtue of having an ID?
-Can grad students get involved with student groups of any sort, other than the GSC listed above? How does the department feel about it? Will you be seen as "the sketchy grad student" by the undergrads? Is it ever a conflict with work demands? (If so, is it feasible to take a week/semester off?)
-What is the culture, and traditions, of your program? Are successful defenses celebrated? Is there a particular annual party that you'll be forever shunned if you don't attend? Are there weekly happy hours?
-What makes the town interesting? Does it have strange cultural aspects you should know about? Are there music/neighborhood/art festivals in the summer? Free movies at parks? Cool neighborhoods that the tourists don't see?
-Where can you go to "get away" from the bustle of town/campus? Big parks? Rural areas outside the city? Can you go camping? Skiing? Canoeing? Are there running trails in/out of the city? Bike paths?
-What are good day trips to other cities? (Most places I've lived advertise that they're "just X hours from Y, Z, and A!" Unless the university is IN Boston, New York, Philadelphia, DC, Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, San Francisco, LA, Portland or Seattle, in which case they don't need to entice you to go to some other city. I'm making assumptions about the West Coast, given my lack of travel experience. Hello? dzou, chanzi, tabsq? Are you guys still on this Internet thing? I haven't heard from any of y'all in a while.)
-How good is the local airport? How do you get there from school/home? Is it a pain to deal with, or relatively painless Are flights available to many destinations, or just a few? What budget carriers operate that'll get you where you want to go? Is Amtrak a viable option? (Is it ever?:)
-If you're in town for a break that many people leave for, what are your options? (i.e. Does your advisor invite you over for Thanksgiving if you can't travel home for it?)
-What's local traffic like? Is there a legitimate rush hour that you can avoid somehow on your way in/home? What's weird about drivers in this city?
-Do people have recommendations for a good mechanic? Hair place? Dry cleaner? Tailor? Florist? Used bookstore? Indie movie shop? Indie movie house? Wines and spirits? What are the local blue laws that you'll have to cope with?
-What thrift stores are nearby for convenient furnishing & so forth?
-How does one get to the nearest local mall? The best local mall?
-Is there a good public library that you can join?
-What's the local radio scene? Is NPR only on AM? Only on FM? Does the university have a radio station? Is it any good?
-What late night options are there on & around campus for food? Delivery? Places that are a short, safe walk for food to go? Diners? Coffeeshops?
-Are there sources of free food regularly?
-Do people in the program eat lunch together, or at their desks, or what? Is there a designated on-campus gathering spot & time?
-What's a nice place to go out to eat? (This is handy for visitors on the department's dime, parents, foreign dignitaries, dates.)
-Good and/or cheap dessert place? (Again, mad linky props to Vaccaro's and Phillips.)
-What are the quirks of the local grocery store chains? Are there alternatives available - co-op, ethnic grocery store, natural foods stores. How available is organic produce in general? Where can you find farmer's markets? Delis? A massive selection of beers? What delight from a previous home region can you NOT you find in this new place, and is there any workaround? (Find this out sooner, rather than later.) Dialect goes a long way: "hots" are two very different things in my 2 "adult" cities, and I'd never needed the word - or a name for its referents - before. Are there local delicacies you should know about?
*phew* Ends on an odd note, but my brain is emptied. I suppose a good bottom-line is, when all else fails, ask the current students there what THEY wish they knew earlier about where they are. And make sure to bond with at least one of them, so that 1) you have a contact should you have further questions, and 2) you have a senior friend, should you end up there. You're certainly not to neglect your fellow visiting prospectives (if any), or you'll look unfriendly & they will never want to be your colleague. Or something like that.
The other thing (this is like my 3rd edit after posting this) that might be useful, or completely ridiculous, is "go with your gut". If it feels right, they're probably not bullshitting you. If you feel creeped out or that something's amiss, well, you don't want to spend 5-7 year with a pit in your stomach. I claim that I knew within 3 hours of getting to Rochester - when I was chilling at the Mt. Hope Starbucks with magnolia77sc, SBS, and Liz W - that I would be happy here. Then it was just a question of playing the rest of the weekend right, and making sure everything else checked out. (Like, you know, meeting faculty members and all. Minor stuff:))
And that's why I didn't go to the office today. WOW That's long. Those of you who've gone the the process too, feel free to throw in your $.10, correct me where I'm out of line, and so on. (Super-fun exercise for current students: How would you answer these if a prospective asks you any or all of them? Print it out & answer it like a worksheet in 4th grade. I'm kidding, I think.)
It's time for meal! Then lexicon-searching! Then sleep!
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